In The Rain
by Phoenix Lee
Summary: Meh...just something while I'm still in extreme writer's block for Phoenix Rising. StormNC...i figured it would make for an interesting pairing, and lo and behold...One-Shot..RR please :D


Ororo sat silent and still in the gazebo just east of the mansion. Rain fell around her, and an occasional clap of thunder brought her out of her thoughts and into the present. However her mind would wander again, and she would continue to think about things she couldn't give name to.

"Fraulein..." the heavily accented voice, and soft velvet hand fell on her shoulder, and drew her permanently out of her thoughts. She turned to look up at him, and could see the worry in his yellow eyes, and etched in his face, "You've been out here, and the rain falling for so long..." He trailed off, taking his hand from her shoulder and shrugging as if he knew not what else to say.

"This rain is a natural rain, Kurt. Even I could not keep it up for this long." She moved over and pulled her legs up under her, in an attempt to make some room for him to sit down. He mumbled a small 'danke' before he sat down, and looked out over the fields along with her. Nervous energy brought her hand to her throat, and she began playing with the few strands of hair that had been blown there by the wind. They sat in silence, observing the beauty of the rain. The moon glistened off of the falling drops, casting a silvery light over the grass. She had forgotten him sitting behind her, when he spoke, "Do you believe in love, Ororo?"

Her heart stopped, then came hammering down, attempting to make up for lost time. The attempt was in vain, however, because she still felt a little lightheaded. She took care with her answer, not knowing where this discussion was leading. She kept her back to him as well, to keep the truth in her eyes hidden from him, "A long time ago, I did. I saw my mother, and my father. Two different, everything really, collide, and nothing but beauty came from it. However, after they died, I couldn't. Why? Love someone and lose them? It made no sense to me. And yet, here I am, years and years later, thinking about it once more. Am I in love? I do not know? I am not quite sure if I want to be." She stopped, trying to discern for herself what exactly she had said, "And you? What do you think about it?" She held her breath, waiting for his reply.

It came quickly enough, "Of course. Love is true. The most beautiful precious feeling God could bless us with. Unfortunately, though I have a hard time seeing anyone fall in love with one like me." He held up his furry blue arms, and swished his tail around a bit to emphasize his point. He looked so upset that Storm found herself having to fight every fiber in her being to keep from reaching out and embracing him. Instead she caught his eyes with her own, "It is not impossible, Kurt. It is not about what is visible, it is about what your heart is like." A modification on the cliche just came out and Storm mentally berated herself for it, but he seemed pleased.

They turned back to the fields, something about the sound of the rain making their silence pleasant. Lightening flashed, and while Storm awaited almost eagerly for the flash of lightening, Kurt jumped when it did come. Impulsively she turned fully to him. Before she could wonder exactly what it was that she was doing she held her hands out, "Put your hands in mine." He looked at her oddly, then complied. "Now close your eyes." When he hesitated she continued, "I want to share something with you, if I can. Please trust me." She watched as he nodded, then closed his eyes. She closed her own, and felt her powers run out, immediately searching her surroundings; knowing what the weather was doing, what it would do, and what she needed to do to control it. The peace of that certainty entered her mind, "Think of nothing, Kurt. Concentrate on my hands." She shared the feelings with him, pushing them out through her hands. His hands tightened around hers, and she knew that he felt it. The peace that only nature could bring. She felt as the lightening and thunder came down around them, and felt almost giddy when Kurt didn't move. She opened her eyes and removed her hands form his. Hi eyes remained closed, and Storm had the urge to run her fingers over the tattoos on his eyelids. She restrained and instead played them over her thighs. He smiled a little before opening his eyes. They bored into hers, and without words, she knew what he wanted. "Come." She took his hand and led him out into the fields. The rain soaked them in seconds, and when she turned to look behind her at him, she couldn't help laughing. Even his tail drooped with the weight of the rain. She puled him close to her, and he wrapped his tail around them both. She looked up at him, "Hold on." She said, then summoned winds strong enough to lift both of them into the air. She overcalculated Kurt's weightand the gust took them far higher than she had anticipated. His tail and arms tightened around her back, and she looked up at his face. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his mouth was set in a firm line. "I'm sorry, you look much heavier that you are." She said by way of apology.

"Are you trying to say I'm fat?" He opened his eyes and looked down at her, smiling a little.

"Of course not." She smiled back at him.

"Why are you not always up here? This is an amazing feeling." Kurt had gathered the courage to began looking around. She had elevated them high enough to see a good bit of the land that the mansion was located on, despite the rain.

Storm summoned another gust, this time to sustain them both in the air. It was hard to find one, and her powers were weakening, much faster than when she flew on her own. Yet she did not want to be grounded again, "I fly when necessary, and when the sun rises or falls. I try not to take my powers for granted." She answered his question. The joy and awe on his face as he looked around was more than enough to make up for the fatigue she knew was waiting for her on the ground.

"You are tired, Fraulein." The concern in his voice caught her attention, and she nodded.

"Much harder to sustain two than one." She replied as she lowered them both gently to the ground, allowing the winds to go along their business. Kurt's tail stayed entwined around them, keeping her close to him. Her legs weakened, and she wasn't sure if it was from his their closeness, or if it was the repercussions from using her powers too much for to long. "I'm afraid that I am falling." She continued their earlier conversation in little more than a whisper, ducking her head to break the spell of his eyes. He removed one hand from around her back, and lifted her face back up to his, with little resistance on her part. "Why be afraid, Ororo?" he answered her, and bent down, placing his lips gently, but firmly on hers. Whatever resistance her mind had placed on her feelings was firmly broken, and she allowed herself to kiss him back. Her legs fell out altogether, and he was there, supporting her with his arms. He pulled back, and she rested her head on his chest, still tired from using her powers, and from the revelation she had allowed to process. He placed his chin on the top of her head, and they stood in the rain, the closeness of each other's bodies keeping them warm.

"We should go inside, before we catch colds, or something." Ororo said to him, what felt like days later. He nodded, and with a puff of sulphurous smoke, they were gone. She didn't know where he was taking them, but that was ok. She trusted him, and that was what was important. Trust, and love.


End file.
